SA mourns tornado victims

Find out more about on how tornadoes are formed and gain an insight into the tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma on Monday.
Video: eNCA

A giant tornado has left a path of devastation across Oklahoma City. Dozens of people have been killed and many of the dead are school children.
Video: eNCA

Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma has sent condolences to the United States on Tuesday after a tornado killed dozens of people, the international relations department said.

"We mourn with the government and the people of the USA, particularly the affected families in Oklahoma City, as they come to terms with the effects of the devastating tornado," he said in a statement.

Zuma said the government and people of South Africa sympathised with and shared the grief of those who had lost their loved ones.

US President Barack Obama is expected to meet Zuma when he visits South Africa in June, accompanied by a high-level diplomatic and trade delegation.

Watch: eNCA meteorologist Luis Fernandes explains exactly how the weather phenomenon occured and why it has had such a devastating impact.

The tornado flattened homes and flung cars through the air as it ripped through parts of Oklahoma City. At least two schools were crushed in an almost three-kilometer wide formation that spun at about 320 kilometers per hour.

Survivors and witnesses said the destruction was relentless.

Watch: Two survivors describe the horror of having the tornado pass directly over them.